The present invention relates to a device for use in positively securing accessory devices used during surgical and other medical procedures. More specifically, the present invention relates to a clamp assembly that securely affixes to a standard surgical table to facilitate the accurate and positive positioning of accessory devices used during surgical and other medical procedures.
Orthopedic surgery on the human body generally includes procedures ranging from hand, elbow, wrist, foot and ankle surgery to fracture repair. These procedures require that the joint or limb be precisely and predictably positioned during the surgical procedure. In order to achieve the most optimum positioning, the surgeon requires a large range of positive positioning adjustments that must be easily available so that the limb or joint to be treated is initially positioned and thereafter maintained in the desired position. Not only must such a selected position be maintainable but it is also very important and often necessary that the limb be released and repositioned on demand during the course of the procedure to ensure optimum access to all areas of the joint or limb in question.
To facilitate the precise positioning required, conventional surgical tables generally include a flat patient support and a lower base for holding the patient support at a predetermined distance from the floor. The base of conventional surgical tables commonly includes a control apparatus for tilting the flat patient support through a range of orientations to facilitate performance of certain surgical procedures. Typically such flat patient supports are made of surgical stainless steel and in most cases include a set of metal side rails supported along the edges of the table for holding surgical accessories, instrumentation, and the like. Further, the side rails conform to an industry standard that dictates the cross sectional size and configuration of the rails so that surgical accessories from any vendor source can be directly connected to surgical tables built by another vendor without modification of the attachment interface.
The difficulty with most of these prior art devices is that they have numerous moving parts and components therein that make sterilization of the device virtually impossible. Since these devices cannot be sterilized, they are typically mounted directly to the metal side rails on the non-sterile side of the surgical drapes. Further, those clamps that can be sterilized and placed on the sterile side of the surgical drape generally include U-shaped or square clamping jaws that prevent them from firmly engaging the metal accessory rails when a surgical drape is positioned there between. In addition, these prior art clamps cannot engage the rail when different thicknesses or additional plies of surgical drapes are utilized. Finally, many of the prior art devices rely on a threaded rod to create the clamping tension of the device thereby transferring and bearing all of the clamping forces of the device to the small surface area of the threaded engagement. Often this ends up being the weak point in the assembly.
There is therefore a need for providing a sterile clamp to hold the various fixtures and devices, that can be installed in firm engagement with the rails on a surgical table while surgical drapes are installed there between. Further, there is a need for a sterile clamp assembly that can more firmly and reliably engage surgical table rails and reliably support a plurality of medical accessories during surgical or medical procedures.